Phonographic sound-box.



J. H. VAN MATER.

'PHONOGRAPHIO SOUND BOX. -APPLIOA'IION FILED JULY 5, 1913 Patented se t.29,' 1914,.. t

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1;

Fig.2.

QmMWLmtZOI s wmw J. H. VAN MATER; PHONOGRAPHIC SOUND BOX.

APPLICATION-FILED JULY 5, 1913.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETS-11331 2.

JOHN H. VAN MATER,

Parana rich.

0F ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NE'VV JERSEY.

PHONOGRAPHIG sown-Box;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 29, 1914:.

llpplieation filed July 5, 1913. Serial No. 777,537. I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. VANMATER, acitizen of the-United States, residing at Atlantic Highlands, in the.county of'l /lonmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in a Phonographic Sound-Box, of which thefollowing is a description.

My invention relates to means employed for transmitting articulate andmusical sound vibrations from the contact needle of a phonograph to itsresonant diaphragm, and from which they are transmitted in the form ofsound waves by a suitable amplifier.

'The object of my invention is to produce and preserve the vibrationspeculiar to articulate speech and musical sounds, to the exclusion ofthose produced by the scratching or frictional effects peculiar tophonographs.

In phonographs,

heretofore part of their sound vibrations have been transmitted from thestylus point to the interior of the amplifying horn through mechanicalcon nections or sound conductors leading from the stylus needle to thematerialforming the sound box,

thence through such'material to the interior of the horn; and suchsounds so transmitted irrespective of a diaphragm or sounding board aregenerally of an objectionable nature.

In carrying out my invention and to avoid such objectionable sounds, allparts ofthe mechanism employed for recording and'reproducing musical andarticulate sound vibrations, including the stylus and its holder areinsulated from the-sound box and horn,

by means of a keeper composed of material which ofi'ers an effectiveresistance to the passage of all sound vibrations through it; so thatthe only way that such vibrations can be transmitted from the stylus tothe interior of the 'horn must be through asingle transmitting memberleading from the needle to a diaphragm and thence to the interior of thehorn.

My invention further embraces certain forms of a sound transmittlngmember leading from a stylus to a resonant diaphragm and adapted forcarrying with an increasing volume and clearness certain vibrationscommon to musical sounds andv articulate speech which accord withcertain vibrator characteristics of said ,member, and in'tran's?"mittinlg with a decreasing force and .clearthe insulator ness othersound vibrations which do not accord with the same. 4

I attain these objects by means illustrated in the accompanying drawingsmade a part hereof, wherein:

Figure 1, is a plan of the under face of a phonograph sound boxembodying my invention; Fig. 2, is a sectional elevation of the deviceshown by Fig: 1; Fig. 3, shows a part of the device of Fig. 2, insection; Fig.

device of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, is a modified form of the device of Fig. 2,shown in section; Figs. 6 and 7, are modified forms of part pf thedevice of Fig. 1; Figs. 8 and 9, show a working form of my invention,and Figs. 10 and 11, show a practical form of mechanism.

Fig. 1, shows a plan of the shell of a sound box M, in connection with astylus arm S, for holdin a stylus, the same being pivotally connected toan insulated inertia plate P, held within the'sound box; also a resonantdiaphragm D, with a transmitting member T, leading from the stylus armS, to the diaphragm D.

F ig. 2, is a sectional elevation of Fig. 1, showing the shell of thesound box M, rovided with a sleeve or horn attachment M. Inside of thebox M, are shown two insulating rings R, and G, between which is heldinsulated from the shell a flexible diaphragm D, while the inertia plateor ring P, is held insulated frdm both the box M, and the diaphragm bythe insulating ring G. The insulated inertia plate P, has a stylusarm'S, pivotally connected to it at S. The transmitting member T, isrigidly united at one end with the stylus arm S, while its other end isprovided with a post T, which is joined to the center of the diaphragm1); whereby the post S, is connected to the diaphragm D, by means of themember T, and its post T. S shows a stylus placed in the arm S. M is asnap'ring used for holding G, and its plate P in place. ,Fig. 3, is areproduction of part of Fig. 2, with thestylus arm and transmittingmember omitted, showing enact the lugs P, by which a stylus arm can be.connected to the insulated plate P.

Fig. 4:, shows a plan of an inertia plate P, with two lugs P, P, forpivotally holdmg a stylus arm; the outwardly extending flange'P beingfor the purpose of engagingthe insulating ring G, as shown in Fig. 2.

e5 4, is a plan of the under face of a part of the 7 and a fulcrum plateP, insulate member T, will not be communicated through P, owing to itsweight or inertia,

vening insulating ring G.

Fig. 5 shows in section 9. dia hragm from each other but held togetherby the transmitting member-T, which is pivoted to 4 the plate P; all ofwhich forms a complete mechanism which can be slipped in or out of asound boxior held therein in; an msulated condition by means of theinsulating rings G and R.- x

Fig. 6 shows analogo ly fine of the .elements'of my invention whlchrelates to the peculiar construction of the-transmitting member T, andhere shown as a separate article consisting of a blade T, adapted forbeing rigidly attached to the stvlusarm; which blade has, a post T, heldto a by a spring T, which ost is connected to a resonant diaphragm theobject being to show that an vibrations imparted to the blade in adirection perpendicular to the plane of the diaphragm will betransmitted 'aato it through the post T-, while any vibrations in theblade parallel to the plane of the diaphragm will simply swingrelatively to the post without vibrating the diaphragm.

This same' effect is attained by means pe 40 culiar to the constructionof such a transmitting member as shown by Fig, '7, consisting of a bladeT, made throughout of comparatively thin material, and having part of ittapering in width andiorr' ed into a spiral T to which a resonantdiaphragm D,'is directly attached; the spiral part'Tf', being formed so'aslto be comparativelyrigid 1n the direction perpendicular to thediaphragm and comparatively flex .50 iblein 'a transverse directionwhereby vibrations one way in the blade will be trans- -mitted to thediaphragm while those in another way ,will-not be transmitted; asdescribed in connection with Fig. 6. Y

Figs. 8 and 9, graphically represent a diaphragm D, fixed in a ring D,and centrally connected at D, to the post T, of the trans: mittingmember T, which forms its sole support and holds it free from contactwith G0 the late or ring P and otherparts of the mec anism to whichsound vibrations might be communicated.

Figs. 10 and 11, show a plan and a crossdimensions approximately e norto the shell of box M, owing to the inter- 4 which forms a section of apractical form of mechanism adapted for carrying out my invention; inWhich' the transmitting member or blade T, terminates in a spiral T withits flat parallel to that of its blade T, and provi d with a post T, forconnecting it with the diaphragm D.

In this form, the diaphragm D, and fulcrum plate P, connected by aspring joint S, to the stylus arm S, are insulated from each is alsoinsulated from the mouthpiece M, part of the horn to which it isattached; 2

Inthe construction of the transmitting *other'and from the shell M,while the shell member T, I find thatcer t'ain features are essentialforits better performance, which are; a greater width and rigidity one waythan the other as shown; a greater length than that represented by thedistance from its stylusar'm to its junction with the diaphragm: hencethe necessity of a spiral or analogous form to increase. its length andnot its reach, and the necessity of maklng 1t tapering in its width toprevent monotone sound vibrations which-would result if itscross-sections were equal throughput its length. 3

What I claim as my, invention is:

1. In a sound recording and-reproducing machine, a stylus arm and avibratory diaphragm united by a sound transmitting member made of thinmaterial tapering in width and formed at its smaller end nto a spiralwith its wide dimensions perpendicular 'to the .plane of'the diaphragmto which it is attached.

2. In a sound recordin and --reproduc1ng machine, a complete mec anlsmfor-receiving and transmitting sound vibrations and comprising aninsulated stylus arm and ful: crum, an insulated. vibratory diaphragmand asound transmitting member ,uniting the stylus arm with thediaphragm and consisting ofthin material, tapering'in width and formedat its smaller end into a spiral with its Wide dimensions perpendicularto the plane of the diaphragm to which it is attached. Y

3. In a sound recording and reproducing machine,a sound box,a vibratorydiaphragm therein, a stylus arm, a transmitting member composed oftapering material and made partlyinto a spiral for connectingthediaphragm to the-arm, and a body supported'within but out of contactwith said sound box for flexibly holding the stylus JQH'LVANMATEBz arminplace;

Witnesses:

A. G. WATERHOUSE,' WILLIAM SKIDMORE.

00910 of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe commissioner of Patents,

